Extension-rail clamp



H. F. HEUMANN.

EXTENSION RAIL CLAMP.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 19, 1920,

Patented Mar. 8, 1921.

INVENTOR,

BY V .4

ATTORNEY Q W W' UNITED STATES HENRY FREAD HEUMANN, OF MARISSA, ILLINOIS.

EXTENSION-RAIL CLAMP.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented 312ml. 8, 1921.

Application filed October 19, 1920. Serial No. 417,874.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY F. HEUMANN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Marissa, in the county of St. Clair and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Extension-Rail Clamp, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to extension rail clamps and is an improvement upon my former Patent No. 1,298,946.

The object is to provide an adjustable clamp for temporarily securing extension rails in alinement with the permanently laid rails in coal mines. This is necessary after the coal has been mined too great a distance from the ends of said permanent rails to be reached by the miner to readily shovel the material into the mine car, and when there is as yet insufficient room to lay the entire rail end for end with the last permanent rail and to secure the same in place as a continuation of the track.

It is customary to lay the extension rail on its side and between the rails oi the permanent track in such manner that the head of the extension rail fits beneath the overhanging head of the permanent rail to form a substantial continuation of the same, so that when the wheels of the mine car reach the ends of the permanent rails they mayreadily roll off the same and onto the sides of thetilted extension rails in order to reach the work; and when the distance to the latter is increased, by further mining operations, the extension rails may be readily lengthened by releasing the improved clamps to be again secured in position after the desired extension has been made.

The present invention provides a simple, cheaply manufactured clamp which may be readily applied to either the right or the left hand rail and adjusted to fit any size thereof. The device having means for engaging the outer side of the base of the permanent rail and means for engaging the bottom or base of the extension rail.

A full and complete understanding of the invention may be obtained from a consideration of the following detailed description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing forming part of this specification, itbeing understood that while the drawing shows a practical form of the invention, the latter is not confined to strict conformity therewith, but may be changed or modified, so long as such changes or modifications mark no material departure from the salient teatures of the pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawing, in which similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several figures 2- Figure 1 is a cross sectional View through a pair of permanent rails of a mine track having the extension rails applied thereto and held together by a pair of improved clamps.

Fig. 2 is a plan view ter of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail longitudinal sectional view of one of the clamps disengaged from the rails.

Fig. t is an end elevation of the extension rail clamping member.

Flg. 5 is a detail perspective View of the member for engaging the permanent rail re moved from the clamp.

eferring'to the drawing, there is illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 the permanent rails 11 of a mine track which may be laid in the usual manner and supported by and attached to the usual ties, the latter however, having been omitted from the drawing. The width of the head of the standard rail is substantially equal to the distance of the head of the rail from the base so that when 1 t is desired to lay the extension rails 22 in their proper position, each head. of the latter bears against the web of the permanent rail and substantially fills up the space between the base and the head. When so positioned, it Will be seen that the Wheels 33 of the subject matindicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1, may

readily roll to the ends of the permanent rails, and drop from the same onto the Webs of the extension rails, the flanges of the wheels readily accommodating themselves to the sides of the extension rail heads adjacent the webs.

T he two pairs of rails must be rigidly held together to prevent theirspreading or separating in order that the car may pass along to the work at the ends of the extension rails. To accomplish this in a simple manner, the devi e consists of a stout metal shank or bolt 4 of suificient diameter to withstand the strain of a mine car passing over the rails. the said shank being of a length to extend from the upturned base of the extension rail outwardly and considerably beyond the edge of the outermost base flange of the permanent rail, so that the clamp may be invention, as specifically capable of application to rails of varying dimensions.

At one end the bolt or shank 4 is provided with a claw-shaped head comprising a pair of spaced diverging arms 5-5 whose inner faces are in a plane perpendicular to the shank and having their outer walls preferably rounded, the arms 5-5 extending, when the device is in position, upwardly from the shank and adapted to engage against the vertical wall of the base of the extension rail, as clearly shown in Fig. 1.

At the other end, the bolt or shank i is provided with threads 6 which extend substantially to the center of the said shank, and a tubular sleeve 7 is mounted thereon, the internal bore 8 of said sleeve being sufficiently large to freely slide over the threads of the bolt or shank and to act as a protector for the same when the device is in use.

The sleeve 7 is provided at the end remote from the head of the bolt or shank i with an upwardly inclined, inwardly-directed hook arm 9 joined to the outer end of said sleeve by a vertical wall 10 which is adapted to bear against the outer edge of the base 'flange of the permanent rail when the device is clamped in position. The arm and the sleeve constitute what may be termed a movable clamping member.

The inclined hook arm 9 is adapted to bear against the upper face of the base flange of the permanent rail 1, after the bolt is placed beneath the two rails 1 and 2, with the arms 55 comprising the head of the bolt bearing against the wall of the extension rail base, and the sleeve 7 bearing against the lower face of the base of the permanent rail, the said sleeve being flattened on top for such purpose, as at 11, whereupon a nut threaded upon the bolt 4: may be suitably drawn to bear against the fiat, vertical outer face of the wall 10 to hold the several parts in applied position.

The clamps are used in pairs and are applied oppositely to the pairs of rails, and iii order to prevent their separation and coin sequent spreading of the pairs of rails, when under the strain of usage the bolts or shanks 4; are each provided with an aperture 13 extending transversely thereof and adapted to receive the angularly bent ends 14 of a yoke or connecting rod 15, extending across the space between the opposed extension rails to firmly'lock the two together. The said yoke or connection rod 15 being supported upon the ground or by any other means to prevent the upright angular ends 14 from dropping out of the apertures 13.

From the foregoing it will be seen that an extremely simple and cheaply manufactured clamp for extension rails has been provided, which may be easily applied in position or removed therefrom, which will serve to bind the permanent rails to the extension rails and to prevent the spreading of the two pairs, and may be readily adjusted to rails of different sizes and dimen sions.

lVhat is claimed is:

.1. A device for holding slide or extension rails to he permantent rails of mine tracks comprising a shank or bolt threaded at the outer end, an upstanding head formed on the inner end thereof and adapted to fit against the inner face of the upstanding base of the extension rail, a clamping member movable over the threaded portion of the bolt, said member being provided with a hook arm which is adapted to bear against the outer edge of the base flange of the permanent rail, and a nut threaded on the end of the bolt and engaging with the said member to hold the said arm in clamped position. a

2. A device for holding slide or extension rails to the permanent rails of mine tracks comprising a shank or bolt threaded at the end constituting the outer end, an upstanding claw-shaped head formed on the inner end thereof and comprising a pair of diverging arms both; adapted to fit against the inner face-of the upstanding base of the eX- tension rail, a sleeve mounted to slide over' the threads on the shank or bolt, an upwardly extending inwardly directed i11- clined arm carried by the sleeve on the end thereof remote from the'bolt head, said arm being adapted to bear against the outer edge of the base flange of the permanent rail, and a nut threaded on the bolt and engaging with the said arm for binding the several parts in their engagement.

' In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto affixed my signature.

HENRY rnnAn HEUMANN. 

